Perilous Waters (6 page)

Julia slowly shook her head. Her normally tanned face grew pale. “No. But… please tell me I’m seeing things.”

Angie followed her gaze and saw a series of ripples on the surface of the bay. Rainbow swirls of oil-slicked water cast an iridescent sheen on the surface. A sense of dread filled her. “Wh-what did you see?”

Julia’s gaze shifted, her rich, caramel-colored eyes meeting Angie’s. “A creature.”

Angie stepped back. Creatures couldn’t be breaking into the present. The Sorceress could only create a portal through the threads of time… she wasn’t powerful enough to breach the true world timeline.

She glanced at the kids, who were too wrapped up in their own world to be taking stock of her and Julia’s conversation. Still, she reached for Julia’s arm and formed their connection.
You must have seen something else. We haven’t been summoned for a mission. The Sorceress hasn’t opened another portal…

“Believe me,” Julia said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I know what I saw.”

Angie’s hands curled into fists as she scanned the bay once more. Cold sweat broke along the back of her neck. “We need to get the kids out of here.”

Julia nodded, but she kept glancing back at the ocean. “You passed out. I saw monsters in the water. What does this mean?”

Angie didn’t know. Visions. Involuntary teleportation. Creatures in the present timeline? This was something stronger than anything they had experienced before. “We ought to meet with Kaitlyn after work and try to find out.”

Julia shuddered. “In your creepy basement?”

“Creepy?”

“Sorry,” Julia said, her gaze flitting up before lowering. “I forget that you’ve been playing with animal skulls and eye of newt since you were a little girl.”

Angie smiled automatically, brushing off the comment. “It’s okay.” Julia didn’t mean anything by it. She hadn’t grown up with the magic. The crystals and candles that filled Angie’s basement helped hone their powers. The ancient artifacts and books had been passed down from her ancestors, from the priestesses who were first born with the power to harness the Fates’ magic. Just because they seemed normal to her didn’t mean Julia would feel the same.

She herded the kids into the bus and followed them inside, taking her seat behind the last row of Rainbow Rockers. “You need to sit up front with them, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Julia said, heading back to the front of the bus. Angie could tell that she wanted to talk about the magic, but they would have to wait until after work. They needed to keep their eyes on the kids for now, and besides, whatever they discussed, Kaitlyn should be a part of it. Angie adjusted her ball cap and tucked another loose strand of hair behind her ear before settling her hands on her legs, her fingers tapping against her thighs as thoughts of Kaitlyn caused her to swallow tightly. Kaitlyn needed to be a part of everything they did pertaining to the magic, now. She was the third Daughter of Fate, after all.

~ Chapter 5 ~

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn
pulled up to the two-storied house with the white picket fence. She took a moment to check her hair in her visor mirror before shutting the car door, running her black, glossy nails lightly along her car’s matching paint job.

Time to find out what the emergency is all about.
She clicked her car alarm before dropping her keys into her purse. Angie’s little storybook life was too sugary-sweet for words. Pale blue flowers lined the walkway to the front door, the whole scene a stark contrast to the image she portrayed in her black flared miniskirt and halter top. A strip of hot pink laced the bodice, ending in a thick black bow. As soon as she had seen the shirt, she had searched the internet for the perfect boots to match, and sent them to her seamstress to add matching hot pink lace across the tops to make them one-of-a-kind.

Her clothes were striking. Noticeable. Sometimes she bared her midriff and showed off tons of cleavage, but lately she had been letting her outfits hint at her curves. Teasing. Accentuating without fully revealing. Miniskirts and thigh-high boots were the perfect example of this technique, with more flesh being hidden than if she wore a conservative skirt and sandals. Yet still, it somehow looked sexier.

Absently, she ran her thumb along the scar on her cheek. Angie’s goody-goody parents had surprised her, never once judging her revealing outfits, and instead admiring the color or unique combination of fabrics she put together. It was odd. She couldn’t pinpoint when it had started, but she enjoyed the compliments she received for her sense of style much more than the shock response she got from looking slutty.

She shook her head lightly, realizing she had been staring at the door like a moron. Even Angie’s doorbell sounded cheerful, she thought as she let go of the button. No one would think that behind this adorable façade, there was a basement filled with bones and skulls and cryptic, ancient magic.

“Why hello, Kaitlyn,” Angie’s mother said brightly. She looked more like Angie’s big sister than her mom. She was just as tiny, just as blond, and had the same friendly, welcoming smile. But more than anything else, it was her clear, trusting, eyes that made her seem so young. Looking at them, it was hard to imagine that she was old enough to be anyone’s mother.

“Hello,” Kaitlyn said, a pulse of awkwardness forming against her throat. “Angie told me to come over… for…” she faltered, not used to talking about the magic with someone besides Angie and Kaitlyn. She moistened her lip. “For… practice.”

“Of course,” Angie’s mother replied, motioning for her to enter. “Is there anything I can get you? Some water? A snack or something?”

Kaitlyn shook her head. It was strange to see a mom be so genuinely nice. She wondered if this lady was just better at faking it than her own mom was, or if she really did like doing things for people. Like Angie.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” she said, opening a door that led to the basement. “Angie,” she called. “Your guest is here.”

“Coming,” Angie replied from below.

Angie’s mom gave Kaitlyn a little wave and then headed down the hall. Kaitlyn looked from her to Angie, who appeared with a smile beneath cornflower blue eyes.

“I’m so glad you could make it.”

Like she had any choice? She was bound to Angie and Julia forever. Not to mention that Angie was the only one who really knew much about their powers. If she didn’t come and practice with her, she would never be as good at it.

The past few months without Ashleigh and Becca had left her feeling alone, and gaining Angie and Julia as Sisters of Fate hadn’t really helped. Rather than getting used to hanging out with them, the more time they spent together, the more out of her element Kaitlyn felt. They looked at things completely differently than Ashleigh and Becca, who had been easy to understand and manipulate. With Angie constantly acting as though she really wanted to get to know her and be her friend, Kaitlyn didn’t know how to respond, and ended up feeling defensive.

Open up to Angie? To
anyone
?

Having magic definitely had its drawbacks. She had gained a hideous scar and lost her friends and her standing at school, all for being able to light a candle across a room and not having to get up when she didn’t want to reach for something. The trade-offs weren’t really paying out.

Then again, blasting her enemies with beams of energy
was
pretty fun.

“Come on,” Angie beckoned, her blond ponytail bobbing as she turned and headed down the stairs.

She reached the bottom of the stairs, which opened to a gothic den. Bookshelves lined the far wall. A low table surrounded by cushions, a lot like the one Indira had, was set out as usual. Candles were the only light—Angie said this was to help the air retain the most magical properties—and bones lay scattered on a side table. Kaitlyn had a feeling she didn’t want to ask where they came from.

Angie took a small, ornate box from one of the shelves. “Where are the raven’s claws,” she murmured. Dressed in a white eyelet top that was trimmed in pale pink flowers, Angie looked more like she should be swinging in a flower garden than handling shriveled bird parts like a little witch.

“That is completely gross,” Julia said, turning from her pixie-like friend in disgust.

“Agreed,” Kaitlyn said. “So, why did you want us to get together last minute like this?”

“We think the Fates are going to summon us to a mission,” Angie said, plucking up a curled claw and setting on the table. “Soon.”

“Angie had a vision at work today,” Julia added.

Kaitlyn gave them both an indifferent glance, but inside a pinprick stung her heart. The way they said
we
when they talked always meant the two of them.

But, why did she even care?

“We need to figure out as much as we can before we travel back in time,” Angie said.

Kaitlyn felt a moment’s curiosity. No matter what, having been to Paris when Marie Antoinette was alive had been pretty bad ass. “You already know where we’re going?”

“Um… partly,” Angie said, holding her pretty blond ponytail to one side with both hands.

“‘Partly’? That isn’t going to cut it,” Kaitlyn said. “Last time we were ‘partly’ in a war.”

“That’s why I wanted us all here. I want to use the threads of time to look through the past and see if I can find us in history, somewhere.”

Kaitlyn released a heavy sigh, but her fingertips tingled with excitement. “Let’s get this over with.”

“We should freeze time first that way we’re not late to the bonfire party,” Angie said, canting her head to the side as she looked up at Kaitlyn. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? You might have fun.”

Kaitlyn tensed. Was she pitying her because Ashleigh and Becca dropped her? Did she think she had nothing else going on? “I don’t consider hanging out with you fun.”

Angie’s lips parted noiselessly.

“Harsh, Kaitlyn,” Julia said, her brows lowering.

Kaitlyn was still getting used to not saying everything that came into her head around these two. Ashleigh would have laughed if she had said something like this to Becca. It would have been funny to see Becca try to make a comeback and fail, of course. No one was as good at insults as Kaitlyn was.

But not with these two. Throughout the past few months she hadn’t seen them blast backhanded compliments that were really insults. It was a completely different wave-length, and half the time she ended up not knowing what to say around them. For a moment Kaitlyn remembered back to her friend Dawn. She had trusted Dawn. She had never wanted to hurt her, and had never been mean to her, but in the end Dawn had betrayed her. Kaitlyn exhaled a measured breath, trying to control the images that flooded her mind. Dawn was ancient history, she reminded herself.

Then why do think about her all the time?

“You need to stop being such a jerk,” Julia continued, cutting into her thoughts, and for once, Kaitlyn was grateful. Even all these years later, remembering about Dawn hurt, and she was relieved to put her attention elsewhere. “Angie has only ever been nice to you.”

Kaitlyn wouldn’t have cared about being ‘harsh’ to Angie, or a ‘jerk’ or whatever else Julia thought about her… except Angie… her little face did look hurt. Sometimes when Kaitlyn said things, the way Angie blinked rapidly and sucked in her breath made Kaitlyn feel a sharp prick of pain in her chest. She didn’t like feeling that way.

Kaitlyn ran her fingers through her bangs, unsure of what to say. What was up with her, lately? She found herself wanting to make Angie happy. “Whatever,
mother
,” she finally mumbled. “I’ll try to tone it down.”

“It’s okay,” Angie said, her pink lips forming a soft smile that changed her face back into its usual doll-like expression. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and added, “If you change your mind about the bonfire, we’ll be at Cabrillo. You could always join us later.”

“It would be kind of cool if you could come,” Julia said.

Kaitlyn blinked in surprise. Julia didn’t usually want her around.

Before she could think to answer, Julia added, “If you come, we can just use our powers to teleport there. It’ll save us so much time driving and we won’t need to find a parking spot.”

No surprise. The only reason Julia wanted her to come along was so she could use her magic.

Whatever. She would never join in their little fake friendship. They only cared about themselves, and that was just fine. She didn’t want to go to an idiotic beach bonfire. What was this, 1965? “You’ll have to figure out parking at your little Beach Blanket Bingo thing without me,” she said, bored of them both and letting her voice show it. “Like I said, I’m not going.”

Angie only nodded and returned to setting out black crystals and other objects of power on a candle-lined table. “There,” she said, sitting on a cushion and holding her small hand out in invitation, indicating the cushions on each side. “Let’s get started.”

Kaitlyn took her spot, sitting on the pillow in front of the symbol matching the one on her arm. A star surrounded by smaller stars shimmered on the table. If she looked at them long enough, something in them shifted. They became like real stars on a blanket of darkness. Their silvery light shone with secrets, and Kaitlyn watched their flickering brightness for a moment before blinking rapidly, chasing the image away.

Even using this small amount of magic caused the mark on her arm to become warm. The normally golden symbols that snaked around the skin below her shoulder grew white with blazing power. The other girls looked at her—one with wide blue eyes and parted, rose-petal lips, the other with a dark, narrowed gaze that made Kaitlyn’s hands curl into fists.

“Good start, Kaitlyn,” Angie finally said, holding out her hands.

Kaitlyn’s magic coursed through her body. She liked the way it felt as it built inside of her. The aching pressure of it… the power. She placed her hand in Angie’s and offered her other hand to Julia. The moment the three of them touched, the magic became a living thing between them. Kaitlyn formed a protective barrier across her mind as whispered thoughts and echoed emotions coursed through her body. The part about them sharing emotions sucked. She didn’t want anyone poking around in her brain. The force field she had learned to put up helped, but Angie was more powerful than she was. If Angie really wanted to go into her mind, there wouldn’t be much Kaitlyn could do to stop her.